Journey to Jahennah: Chapter Two

There was a weird sensation of being towed along underwater, though Lila could still breathe and was fairly sure she would be dry when it was over. She felt strangely light and her hair fanned out behind her as she and Kenji floated through wherever the clock had taken them. Her eyes had snapped shut as they were pulled from the basement and now, she was too terrified to open them again. The force that had stolen her was still gripping her left arm, and all she could do was cling tightly to Kenji as they were transported through the unknown.

And then everything stopped. Whatever it was that had trapped them disappeared, and they fell onto a smooth, hard surface, breathing heavily. Lila lay face down, eyes still squeezed shut, listening intently for any sign that they had company. There was only silence. Not the peaceful silence of sleep; this was the silence of ghostly shadows, of empty forests, of the witching hour in the dead of night. This was a silence in which magic existed and nightmares were real.

She opened her eyes. They were lying on a grey, stone path which extended out as far as she could see in either direction. On either side were vast stretches of what looked like purplish-brown soil. Lila pushed herself upright and cautiously reached out a hand to feel it. It was soft and crumbly, like earth during a drought. Looking up, she saw what looked like purple and grey clouds, though she had never seen clouds dance like that, twisting furiously in the sky.

Gingerly, Lila got to her feet, brushing her fringe out of her eyes and looking down at Kenji. He was still on the floor, propped up on his elbows and taking in their surroundings in disbelief.

“Where are we?” he said. Though he spoke softly, his voice rang through the stillness. Straightening his glasses, he stood up and swept the dirt off his t-shirt. His clothes were rumpled, and his hair was even wilder than usual.

Lila couldn’t answer. She stood, open-mouthed, staring at the world around her. It was like nowhere she had ever been before; she had never seen colours like this in the suburbs around London. She strained to see across the purple fields. There was nothing. Her eyes travelled down the path.

“Where do you think this leads?” she wondered. Kenji shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he said, “but there’s nothing here. If we follow the path, we might find someone who can tell us what the heck is going on.”

Lila nodded. She took a step forward, but then Kenji grabbed her arm, pinching her hard. She squealed and jumped away from him.

“Ow!” she cried. “What was that for?”

“Sorry!” He grinned mischievously. “Just checking you’re not dreaming.”

She glared at him. Kenji sighed, held his own arm out to her and she pinched him above the crook of his elbow. He yelped and jumped a foot in the air. Lila laughed as Kenji rubbed his arm, scowling at her.

“Come on,” she said.

They walked without speaking, keeping a close lookout for anything or anyone. Their silliness had made them feel calm for a moment, but that feeling was gone now, leaving in its place a tense, anxious atmosphere which was worsened by the deafening silence they had been plunged into. Lila took Kenji’s hand and he gripped it tightly as they continued along the path.

As they followed the smooth stones, shapes emerged in the distance. Lila and Kenji crept closer until the shapes turned into small huts, made from the same smooth stone beneath their feet. There were about twenty in total, some lining the path, others further away, like a little village. It was a grey, gloomy sight; Lila couldn’t help but feel sad as she looked at them.

Nevertheless, they rushed to the first hut and knocked eagerly. There was no answer. Kenji moved to the next one and rapped sharply on the door. Nothing. They went to every hut, hoping to find anyone who could explain what was happening, but not a soul was in sight.

“Where is everyone?” Lila said.

“I’m not sure,” Kenji said, “but there’s something weird about how empty it is.”

There was a sudden bang behind them; a door had slammed shut. They both whipped around, looking for any sign of a disturbance. Silence had immediately fallen again. Lila’s heart thumped in her chest.

“We should keep going,” she said, shivering. They hurried down the path again, eyes darting nervously from side to side.

They walked for some time. How much time, neither of them could tell; for all they knew, time worked backwards in this place. It was strangely warm, like the calm before a summer storm, though something more than electricity hung in the air. It made the hairs on the back of Lila’s neck stand on end. Her mind was racing with impossible questions. How much time had passed since she had been sitting comfortably in her grandfather’s house? Thirty minutes? Three hours? How could it be that a clock had taken them to a different place, perhaps even a different world?

She was so consumed by these thoughts, she would’ve walked straight past Kenji if he hadn’t been holding her hand. He was stood still, staring wide-eyed at something straight ahead. She opened her mouth curiously, but he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. She followed his gaze and her stomach dropped.

Two dark figures were moving towards them. One was huge, at least 15-feet tall, broad, with long limbs and a strange, potato-shaped head. The other was small, hunched and thin, barely coming up to the larger creature’s knees; it had to run on its short, skinny legs to keep up. Something flitted around the smaller figure’s head, a faint yellow glow flying in a way that told Lila it wasn’t a firefly.

She looked around frantically. The village was far behind them and even if they ran back, the larger creature would be able to catch them before they got there. Kenji’s eyes searched for a safe place, but the rest of him didn’t move.

As they drew closer, a raspy voice travelled through the air, sending chills down their spines.

“What do we have here?” sneered the voice.

The smaller creature’s face twisted into a frightening smile that would have sent Lila running had she not been frozen to the spot. From what she had seen in her grandmother’s storybooks, this had to be an imp. He was an ugly creature, with over-sized ears on either side of his thin, stony face. He was staring at Lila so intensely, it felt like he was trying to see through her. Lila couldn’t stop herself from staring back. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing in front of her. Mythical creatures? How was that possible?

The larger creature must have been a troll. It laughed stupidly, ogling the two of them, a wide, gap-toothed grin on its face. The glow had taken the shape of a miniature man with delicate wings protruding from his back; a fairy. He was perched in the bushes of black, matted hair on his enormous friend’s head, watching them suspiciously. Lila thought she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes, but this was quickly replaced with a hostile glare.

Lila cleared her throat. “We were-” she started, her voice unusually high, “we were just trying to find someone to help us get home.”

The imp let out a scream of laughter that made her blood run cold and the troll blinked stupidly. The fairy spoke.

“There are no humans here child, not since your last visit,” he said solemnly. The imp continued to snigger. Lila gaped at them, bewildered.

“What are you talking about?” Kenji demanded. His voice was steady and he jutted his chin out to make himself look tough.

“Tortaris is mythic land, no humans,” replied the fairy, leaving the troll’s head. He floated down and hovered in front of Lila, staring at her. His head was tilted, his expression unreadable.

“What did you mean ‘not since my last visit’?” she said to the imp. Then to the fairy, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

They didn’t answer. The fairy continued to stare at her; it was like he was trying to solve a puzzle but a piece was missing.

“You don’t remember being here before?” he asked doubtfully.

Lila paled, shocked. “What?” she spluttered. “I’ve never been here in my life!”

The imp glared at her.

“Liar,” he spat.

Lila looked from the fairy to the imp to the troll, speechless. They were staring at her accusingly (well, except the troll, who had a finger up its nose).

“Why would she lie?” said Kenji, taking a step forward so he was partly in front of her.

“If I had travelled to Tortaris and put as many mythics in danger as she had, I wouldn’t want to be recognised,” the fairy said matter-of-factly.

“But I haven’t done anything!” Lila cried. “I didn’t know this place existed until this afternoon!”

The imp let out a scream of fury. His face was suddenly filled with a cold rage.

“Liar!” he shrieked, “You know this place, you know the danger you put us in by being here!” He moved closer, circling them. “You dare come here again?! You dare speak to us?!”

The imp was standing behind them now; Kenji turned to face him and he took a step closer to them. The troll shuffled forward and Lila felt a sinking feeling in her stomach: they were trapped. She looked around wildly for any means of escape, but it was no use. Even if they could somehow get past the troll, they would never outrun it. The fairy was circling a foot above their heads, ready to obscure their vision or trip them up if they managed to get away. It was hopeless.

The imp grinned at them, his anger melting away as if it had never been there.

“Nowhere to run,” he sneered. “You'll have to come with us. We’ll get a nice reward for turning you in, girly.”

He inched threateningly towards them. Lila wanted to scream at them that they had the wrong person, but the words stuck in her throat. Hopelessly, she reached out to grasp Kenji’s hand. She couldn't find it. Glancing at him, she realised his hand was hidden in his pocket and he was staring fixedly at the imp. Barely moving his lips, he spoke urgently, so quietly she barely heard him.

“When I give the signal,” he breathed, “run as fast as you can back to the village.”

She only had a moment to look confused. Then he pulled his hand out of his pocket, held something in the air and yelled, “Oi, potato head, want a snack?”

The troll blinked and smiled stupidly. It reached a humongous hand out to take the crumbling biscuit, but Kenji threw it as far and as hard as possible over its head. The troll grabbed for it but missed, knocking the fairy out of the air and onto the path a few feet away. Kenji shoved the imp to the ground and screamed, “RUN!”

The troll bounded towards the biscuit, shouting, “Yummies!” The fairy was dazed on the ground, and they knew they only had seconds before he came back round. Lila and Kenji dashed around the imp and sprinted down the path, not daring to look back.

“How can this be happening?” Kenji gasped as he ran. Lila couldn’t answer him, and not just because she was out of breath. Everything was so surreal; she didn’t trust anything she was seeing.

It seemed like forever since they’d been at the village, but the squat silhouettes of the huts soon appeared in the distance. Lila’s heart was racing, she was gasping for air and a stitch was developing in her side, but she pushed herself to keep going, to get as far away from the danger as possible. She knew it was only a matter of time before the creatures caught up with them; their only hope was to get to the village and hide.

They weren’t far now from the first hut. Kenji grabbed Lila’s hand and pulled her along so she could keep up, ready to slip behind the stone wall.

CRACK.

A strange, whooshing sound rang through the air as long, thick ropes appeared and tied themselves around their bodies. With a thud, Kenji fell to the floor, his glasses flying off his face. Lila tried to stagger away, but she tripped and hit the door of the hut, scraping her face and sliding to the ground. They wriggled and squirmed and bit at the ropes, but it was no use. They were too strong.

“You’re braver than I thought,” the imp snarled, “but not particularly clever.”

He was limping towards them with a bloodied lip, pointing at the ropes. He flicked his hand up sharply and Lila and Kenji were dragged upright, floating an inch off the ground by the hut door. Lila felt blood on her cheek and Kenji’s eye was swollen shut, his hands covered in cuts and scratches.

“You’ll regret underestimating me you pathetic children!” the imp screamed.

He raised his bony hands into the air, a mad look in his eye and his teeth bared. Lila struggled again to free herself, but it was no use. How had it come to this? How had her grandmother’s stories become so real? She was helpless as the imp opened his mouth to cast his final spell.

All of a sudden, the door to the hut burst open, a tall, dark figure emerging. It stepped out and Lila realised it was a centaur, furious and beautiful with raven black hair and dark brown skin the same shade as the hairs on her horse’s body.

The centaur shrieked and charged towards the imp, who yelled and ran back, tripping on a loose stone on the path. The spell was broken, and Lila and Kenji fell to the ground, the ropes slackening. They didn’t wait; Kenji scrambled for his glasses and dragged Lila into the centaur’s hut, slamming the door behind them.

For half a second, they stood, staring at each other, not quite believing what was happening. They took in each other’s appearances; Lila had long, bloody scrapes streaking down her cheek and a rip in her skirt. Kenji’s eye was turning purple, the left lens of his glasses was cracked, and his jeans were covered in dust. They strained to hear any sound that would tell them what was going on, but they heard nothing of the confrontation outside. They hoped the imp had been overcome.

Without warning, the handle of the door rattled. Looking around quickly, Lila saw a large cupboard in the corner. They hurried over to it, flung the door open and stepped inside. It was mostly empty with several waistcoats hanging from the bar above their heads. Kenji pulled the door to, leaving it slightly open so they could still see. The front door rattled more forcefully and suddenly it swung open. Peering through the gap, they watched as the centaur silently entered. Her eyes swept the room, resting on the wardrobe in which Lila and Kenji were hidden. She sighed and let out a low chuckle. Then, smirking, she whirled around and slammed the door shut, turning the key in the lock.